The recent deep drone strikes within Russia, particularly Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web, hold critical lessons for India concerning modern warfare and defense strategies. These attacks underscore the increasing importance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in shaping future conflicts and highlight vulnerabilities, even in well-protected territories.

The Evolving Nature of Warfare

Operation Spider's Web, executed by Ukraine, involved a meticulously planned drone assault targeting Russian military airbases deep within Siberia. This operation resulted in the destruction of over 40 strategic aircraft, including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, inflicting an estimated $7 billion in damages. The success of this operation demonstrates that UAVs are no longer mere force multipliers but are becoming a primary force in military conflicts. The ability to reach deep into enemy territory, inflict significant damage without risking pilots, is now an operational reality.

India's recent Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, also showcased the growing importance of drones. During this operation, India struck terror camps and airbases using indigenously made FPV drones, Heron UAVs, and tactical loitering munitions. Pakistan retaliated with swarm drones, which were effectively neutralized by India's air defense system. This exchange marked the first formal drone conflict between the two nations, highlighting the integration of drones into their respective military strategies.

Key Lessons for India

Several crucial lessons emerge from these drone operations, with direct relevance to India's defense posture:

1. Asymmetric Warfare Tactics: Ukraine's success demonstrates the potential of asymmetric warfare, where cost-effective drones can inflict significant damage on a superior military force. India can explore similar tactics to counterbalance conventional military disparities. This involves investing in indigenous drone technology to create advanced drones tailored to its defense needs.
2. Investment in Indigenous Drone Technology: The success of Operation Spider's Web underscores the importance of developing homegrown drone capabilities. India's 'Make in India' initiative can focus on creating advanced drones tailored to its defense needs, as well as AI-guided drones that can find and disable airframes on the ground, and platforms with deeper strike range. India is already developing world class drones including Ghatak and CATS Warrior. Furthermore, India's Nagastra-1 has already been battle tested during the recent India Pakistan war.
3. Enhancement of Counter-Drone Systems: The Ukrainian operation revealed vulnerabilities in traditional air defense systems against drone swarms. India should prioritize the development and deployment of robust counter-drone technologies to protect important infrastructure. This includes drone detection and neutralization systems.
4. Strengthening Intelligence and Surveillance: Meticulous planning and execution, underpinned by superior intelligence, were critical to Ukraine's success. India must bolster its intelligence capabilities to proactively detect and neutralize potential threats. This includes surveillance to locate camouflaged systems.
5. Strategic Harassment: Ukraine’s drone strike campaign reveals that even the most protected, in-depth enemy installations are not safe from a clever and unpredictable adversary, internalising this and expanding their own toolkits.
6. Shift to Unmanned Systems: India has poured decades of strategic effort into its fighters, helicopters, and air transport. But the deep drone attacks confirm something important, the future of air power will be unmanned, AI-driven and long-range.

India's Response

India has recognized the increasing importance of drones and has already taken steps to integrate them into its military strategy. However, there is a need to accelerate the shift towards unmanned systems and focus on indigenous drone development.

Several private players in the Indian defense market are producing a variety of drones and counter-drones, for the military, para-military and state police forces. One of the most significant milestones in India's private sector drone evolution is the Abhimanyu Collaborative Combat Aircraft, developed by NewSpace Research & Technologies in collaboration with the Indian Navy, designed for high-speed, long-range combat roles and manned-unmanned teaming.

The deep drone attacks in Russia serve as a wake-up call for India. By learning from these events and investing in indigenous drone technology, robust counter-drone systems, and enhanced intelligence capabilities, India can strengthen its defense posture and effectively address the evolving threats of modern warfare.